Adjustable rail brace



W W s. L. EASTBURN mmnw ADJUSTABLE RAIL BRACE Original Filed Feb. 26,1951 Patented Apr. 7, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE ADJUSTABLE RAILBRACE Application February 26, 1931, Serial No. 518,383 Renewed August16, 1932 8 Claims.

The invention relates to railroad track equip ment, and moreparticularly to an adjustable rail brace.

According to one form which the invention may assume, the bracecomprises a rail contacting member and a stationary member, said membershaving tapered contacting surfaces so that the rail may be tightlywedged in position. The contacting surfaces of the members may betapered both horizontally and vertically to assist in holding the railin its seat, which may form a part of a tie plate or other suitablestructure. One end of the rail contacting member may be made heavy towithstand hammer blows so that this member may be driven to position bya sledge hammer or the like. A suitable adjusting bolt may be providedto hold the parts of the brace in adjusted position, and means may beprovided for placing the nut of the bolt in position where it is easilyreached by the trackmans wrench.

The invention also consists in certain new and original features ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth andclaimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic ofthis invention will be particularly pointed out in the claims appendedhereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, and themanner in which it may be carried out, may be better understood byreferring to the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is an endview of the brace engaging a rail;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the brace;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line l-l of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a section corresponding to Fig. 2 of a modified form of brace.

In the following description and in the claims, various details will beidentified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended tobe as generic in their application as the art will permit.

Like reference characters denote like parts in the several figures ofthe drawing.

In the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification,certain specific disclosure of the invention is made for purposes ofexplanation, but it will be understood that the details may be modifiedin various respects without departure from the broad aspect of theinvention.

Referring now to the drawing, the railroad tie is indicated by 10, onwhich rests a tie plate H having a seat l2, and a rail 13. The rail 13may be of standard construction comprising a head i4, web l5 and flangeIt.

The adjustable brace comprises a stationary member I! secured to the tieplate H by rivets 20, and to the tie ID by spikes l9. Located betweenthe stationary member I7 and the rail I3 is the rail contacting memberIS.

The stationary member ll comprises a wedge Wall 28 which is inclinedlengthwise of the rail, as shown. The wedge wall 2| has a. verticallyinclined surface 22 and a vertical surface 23 and a bottom shelf, orshoulder 123.

The stationary member H has a flat base 24 which is connected to theWedge wall it by a plurality of strengthening webs 25. The rivets 20pass through the base 24, as indicated, as do also the spikes 19.

The rail contacting member or block 58 comprises a wedge wall 21inclining lengthwise of the rail, which has a vertically inclinedsurface 28 and a vertical surface 29 fitting and engaging correspondingsurfaces 22 and 23, respectively, on the stationary member.

The rail contacting member 18 has a longitudinal recess 39 and a curvedwall 31 tween webs 33 and 3 5. An additional web 32 is provided at thelarger end which is thickened for strength and to provide a recess llfor the head of bolt ill.

The webs 32, 33 and 34 are shaped to engage fishing surfaces 35 and 36of the rail, as indicated, and. are provided with recesses or clearancespaces 31.

The bolt it passes loosely through the web 32, as indicated, and througha large circular hole d2 in web 33. The stationary member i7 is providedwith a tubular projection 26 through which the bolt 4i] loosely passes.A nut t3 and lock washer M are provided on the threaded end of the bolt49.

To use the adjustable brace, the stationary member I! is secured to thetie plate and tie, as explained above, and the rail contacting member I8is placed in the position shown, with the bolt 4t also in the positionshown. The rail contacting member i 8 is driven by hammer blows on thereinforced webv 32 to tightly wedge the rail [3 in its seat l2. Thefriction between the parts of the adjustable brace serves to hold theparts in wedged positio The workman then draws up on the nut 43 whichprojects clear of the brace in position so that it can be easily engagedby his wrench. In other words, the adjustable brace is adjusted byhitting with a hammer and held in adjusted position by the bolt to andnut 53.

As an alternative way of making the nut accessible, the constructionshown in Fig. 5 may be used. In this figure the lug 56 on the stationarymember i1 is made smaller and a long nut 52 is used, together with alock washer 51. Thus, in this construction the nut 52 is accessible sothat it canbe easilytightened when the rail contacting member I8 isdriven home by hammer blows.

Thus, an adjustable brace has been described extending be- 0 which willeffectively and surely hold the rail in proper position. The inclinedsurfaces 22 and 28 assist in holding the rail contacting member l8 downagainst the flange [6 of the rail, which in turn holds the rail in itsseat l2. This construction assists in keeping the rail from lifting fromthe plate, as sometimes occurs with ordinary braces. The brace is easilyadjusted by the trackman simply hitting with the hammer and then takingup the slack on the adjusting nut.

The recess 3.! in web 32 protects the head of the bolt 46 from thehammer blows on the web 32 which is purposely strengthened to withstandsuch blows. Furthermore, the engagement of the flat upper surface onshelf I23 with the rail-contacting member if; assists in preventing thelatter from any tendency to roll.

While certain novel features of the invention have been disclosed andare pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood thatvarious omissions, substitutions and changes may be made by thoseskilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. In an adjustable railway brace, a rail contacting member having awedge portion tapering horizontally and a rail contacting portion, saidwedge portion having upper part tapering vertically and a lower verticalpart, said rail contacting member having a horizontal groove and anopening in line ther with, a stationary member adapted to be secured toa tie plate or the like, and having a wedge part fitting and engagingsaid first wedge part, said stationary member having a shelf fittingunder the bottom of said rail contacting member and having a lug in linewith said groove and opening, bolt passing through said opening, grooveand lug, one end of said rail contacting member having a recess for thehead of the bolt and being strengthened to withstand hammer blows, saidlug projecting a substantial distance along the rail to locate the boltnut in accessible position.

2. In an adjustable railway brace, a rail contacting member having awedge portion tapering horizontally and a rail contacting portion, saidwedge portion having an upper part inclining vertically and a lowervertical part, said rail contacting member having a horizontal grooveand an opening, a stationary member adapted to be secured to a tie plateor the like and having a wedge part fitting and engaging said firstwedge part and having a. part fitting under said rail contacting member,said stationary member having a lug in line with said groove andopening, and a bolt passing through said opening groove and lug.

3. In an adjustable railway brace, a rail contacting member having awedge part tapering horizontally and a rail contacting portion, saidrail contacting member having a horizontal groove and an opening, astationary member adapted to be secured to a tie plate or the like andhaving a channeled wedge part fitting and receiving both above and belowsaid first wedge part, said stationary member having a lug in line withsaid groove and opening, and a bolt passing through said opening grooveand lug.

4. In an adjustable railway brace, a rail contacting member having awedge part tapering horizontally and a rail contacting portion, astationary member adapted to be secured to a tie plate or the like andhaving a wedge part fitting and engaging. said first wedge part, eachsaid member having a recess into which a portion of the other memberfits both over and under said portion, and a fastening element passingthrough said member and located in one of said recesses.

5. In a railway brace, a pair of adjusting members for bracing the rail,a fastening element passing through said members lengthwise of the rail,one of said members presenting a strengthened part to withstand a hammerblow, said element being protected from said hammer blow and extending.beyond the other end of said members to position for easy engagement bya tightening device.

6. In an adjustable brace, a rail contacting block, a block adapted tobe attached to a tie or the like, said blocks having contacting inclinedsurfaces, a bolt passing through said blocks lengthwise of the rail,said rail contacting block presenting a solid surface to be struck withhammer blows, said bolt being protected from said hammer blows andadapted to take upthe adjustment and to hold the blocks in adjustedposition.

'7. In a railway brace, a rail contacting block having transverse webs,the inner edges of said webs having surfaces adapted to engage a rail,said block having a wedge portion which tapers lengthwise of the rail,said wedge portion having an upper surface sloping downwardly and awayfrom the rail and a lower surface substantially vertical and ahorizontal bottom surface, said block having a groove, the larger end ofsaid block being made heavy for strength and having. a recess for thehead of a bolt, a stationary member having a wedge portion with surfacesfitting said first upper and lower parts and said bottom surface, a baseflange for attachment to a tie or the like, said second wedge portionhaving a lug in line with said groove through which said bolt passes.

8. In a railway brace, a rail contacting block having transverse largeand small end webs and a middle web, the inner edges of said webs havingfishing surfaces adapted to fit under the head and over the flange of arail, said block having a wedge portion which tapers lengthwise of therail, said wedge portion having an upper surface sloping downwardly andaway from the rail and a lower surface substantially vertical and ahorizontal bottom surface, said block having a curved wall between saidmiddle web and smaller end web forming a groove, said larger end webbeing made heavy for strength and having a recess for the head of abolt, said central web having a large hole for said bolt, a stationarymember having a wedge portion with upper and lower surfaces fitting saidfirst upper and lower surfaces and a shelf having an upper surfacefitting said bottom surface, a base flange for attachment to a tie orthe like, a plurality of strengthening webs between said flange andsecond wedge portion, said second wedge portion having a lug in linewith said groove through which said bolt passes, and a nut on said boltprojecting beyond the end of the brace, whereby said rail contactingmember may be struck with a hammer or the like to tighten the brace andthe slack taken up by said nut.

SAMUEL L. EASTBURN.

